Light of Life, Shadow of Death
by Gummical
Summary: In the greatest fight of their lives, the sailor senshi face certain death…until the combined touch of good and evil does something unexpected, throwing the girls through dimensions so they may return to that moment stronger than ever before.
1. In the hands of death

_**A/N:** I've found there are very few SM/Pokemon crossover fics, and I really wanted to write one. This idea came to me one day, and I felt it worked really well for the characters involved. I hope you enjoy the first installment. _

_Please read and review - no flamers!_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Pokemon_**

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><p><strong>1. In the hands of death<strong>

"What's happening?" Sailor Mars groaned as the force of the red heartsnatchers pounded against the shield created by the four senshi.

"I can't hold it! It's becoming more powerful!" cried Sailor Venus

"We can't lose, I WON'T LOSE!" screamed Sailor Jupiter.

"Their strength, it's being boosted. I don't think Sailor Moon can handle it," yelled Sailor Mercury.

In a powerful blast, the wall of red heartsnatchers engulfed the four senshi, leaving them severely wounded, floating in debris in semi-consciousness.

"Usagi," they all whispered.

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><p>Inside what was once the Mugen School, Sailor Moon was begging with Hotaru.<p>

"Please Hotaru, don't do this!" she sobbed. Her powers were no match against the dark woman standing before her.

"Your world will be engulfed in darkness, there's nothing you can do!" Hotaru/Mistress 9 laughed in triumph.

"And it's all thanks to you, Sailor Moon. You gave us the thing we needed the most, the Purity Chalice," she sneered.

"No," Sailor Moon whispered. It was all her fault. All of it. Why hadn't she listened to Sailors Uranus and Neptune? Tears streamed down her face. She stared at the screen where Pharoah 90, a mass of red and black dark energy, was growing larger by the second. She couldn't defeat it. Not by herself. Not even with the other Sailor Senshi.

"Usagi…". Four voices echoed in her mind, fading as quickly as they had come.

"NO!" she screamed. "AMI, REI, MINAKO, MAKOTO!" But they had gone. Sobs wracked her beaten body.

"So the little senshi circle has been defeated at last," crowed Mistress 9.

"They were no match for the sovereign! And now it's your turn." Mistress 9 pointed a finger at Sailor Moon. "Goodbye little moon princess." A blast of dark energy shot directly at the already wounded girl. She watched it coming, adrenalin in her veins slowing the moment. This was it. She had failed everyone, including the people most important to her.

No. She would not go down like this, not without trying to avenge her beloved friends. Reaching into her final reserves of energy, she dived to the side, the blast searing down one side. Hissing in pain, Sailor Moon rolled out of the dive and was up again and running towards the other woman. Mistress 9's eyes widened in momentary surprise, before narrowing again, realising what the Moon Princess was trying to do. Both reached out at the same time.

A blinding flash, two screams – one of hatred, one of shock – and suddenly there was nothing.

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><p>"Pika pika…"<p>

"Yeah, I think so too little buddy."

The voices felt far away…muffled, as though yelled through a pillow. Her whole body hurt. Her fingers twitched as Usagi slowly stirred.

"Hey, Pikachu, it looks like she's waking up."

Usagi felt, rather than saw, someone leaning over her. She opened her eyes briefly before slamming them shut again as the world spun. Groaning, she rolled slowly over to the left – the right hand side of her body was killing her.

"Hey, you shouldn't move." "Pi pika". There were those voices again. Sounded like a boy, and….something. Usagi forced her eyes open once more, bracing herself as again the world spun. Gradually it slowed, and she groaned, trying to sit up without throwing up.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Usagi looked up into the dark eyes of a boy with hair sticking out messily from under a red and white cap. She didn't recognise him at all. More disturbing to Usagi was the yellow…_thing…_perched on his shoulder looking at her.

She scooted away a little, and hissed as pain shot through her body. "Pikaaaa." Glancing at the yellow animal thing, Usagi noticed the expression on its face looked kind of…sympathetic.

"I don't feel so good either…." she replied shakily to the other youth, whose concerned expression made Usagi confident that he was genuinely worried about her.

"Here, drink this," he said in a concerned voice, handing her a flask. Without hesitating, Usagi unscrewed the top and drank. Cool, blessed water. Usagi downed most of the flask before realising that she was being rude.

"Ah..sorry about that," she half laughed, handing the mostly empty bottle back to the boy. "I really needed it though, thanks!"

The boy grinned back at her, not at all fussed about the water, and glad that this strange girl seemed to be okay, despite being pretty banged up.

"No problem. My name's Ash, and this is my best friend Pikachu," he said in a cheerful voice, gesturing towards the animal on his shoulder.

"We saw a big light, kind of like a lightning strike. I thought it might be a cool pokemon, so I came to check it out, but I found you here. Are you okay? How did you get here? Were you attacked by a pokemon?" Ash bombarded Usagi with questions as the girl looked more and more confused.

"I'm…." Usagi trailed off. Who was she? She looked down at her torn, bloody school clothing, her eyes trailing over for anything that might trigger her memory. A cute little rabbit pin was on her collar, and something slipped into her mind. "I'm Usagi!" she said, thankful that she could at least remember her name. "But…I don't know why I'm here…I can't remember what happened…I can't remember anything!" Her lack of memory started to dawn on her, and Usagi began to panic, turning pale. "I can't remember anything!"

Ash and Pikachu glanced at each other, coming to a silent agreement.

"Well, that's okay. Don't worry, you'll remember eventually," Ash said brightly, trying to cheer Usagi up. "You can come with us if you want. I'm a pokemon trainer, but one day I'm going to be a pokemon master." There was a gleam of determination in his eye as he stood up, one hand clenched in a fist.

Usagi stared up at Ash. He was weird. But funny. She giggled, despite her situation. "I don't know what a pokemon master is…or even what a pokemon is. Guess I won't become a pokemon master then," she replied with a laugh.

She slowly stood up, legs shaking a little. "But I'd love to come with you, if that's okay?"

Ash grinned at her. "No problem! The more the merrier, right Pikachu?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly, and Usagi grinned at the enthusiasm of the little creature.

"I'm on my way home right now to see my mom. I just finished the Sinnoh League, and I haven't been home in a while."

He pointed through a forest. "My home is in Pallett Town, which is that way." He looked back at her, slightly concerned. "Do you think you'll be okay to walk?"

Usagi nodded. "Is there a river or something anywhere nearby?" she asked. "I just want to…wash the dirt away," she said, glancing down at her ruined clothing again.

Ash rolled his eyes. Girls were always so fussy about being dirty. Ash could never understand why. It was just _dirt_.

"Sure, there's one just over this way," he beckoned to her and began walking back through the trees.

Tired, injured and with a distinct lack of memory, Usagi followed Ash into the forest.

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><p>Meanwhile, far away in another region, there was another flash of bright light.<p>

Startled, a man dressed immaculately in a suit looked down at the young girl who seemed to have fallen straight into his lap, semi-conscious. As he stared at her, wondering where the hell she'd come from, her eyes opened. On seeing the man, the girl grabbed his wrist with a grip like iron. _ENER…GY. I MUST…HAVE…ENERGY. _

The man's face drained of colour at the horror of feeling his life slipping away, seemingly into the girl. He jerked his arm to break free, but to no avail. Suddenly, the girl's grip slackened as her head fell back against the armrest. _YOU…WILL…DO._ The voice faded from his mind as the girl fell unconscious.

As he struggled to catch his breath, he stared at her, and then down at his wrist. The imprints of her fingers were tattooed there, a black smudge against his skin. Slowly a grin spread across his face. "Yes. You will do as well," said Giovanni quietly.

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><p><em><strong>AN:** So, first chapter down, hopefully many more to come! Hope you are enjoying it so far ^^._


	2. A drop in the ocean

**A/N:** _Thanks for the reviews! This chapter has been written for a while, I just haven't had a chance to upload it until now. It actually came together really easily, which is always good from a writing perspective! The next chapter has also been written, and should go up shortly ^^. Please continue to read and review! No flamers :). _

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon**

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><p><strong>2. A drop in the ocean<strong>

Despite her lack of memories and numerous injuries, which had improved a little after a quick dunk in one of the streams in Viridian Forest, Usagi was practically skipping along next to Ash, taking in the surroundings with wide eyes. Right now she was dressed in one of Ash's spare white t-shirts, which was a little baggy on her, but suited for the moment. There was nothing she could do about her skirt though, which she was still wearing in all its ripped and torn glory. Luckily Ash's shirt was long enough to cover most of it.

Ash had to grin – he didn't think he'd met anyone with such an optimistic, bubbly personality. Ash's friends may have pointed out the obvious – that he and Usagi were very similar in that respect – but naturally Ash didn't pause to consider it.

"…trainer or a pokemon coordinator," Ash was explaining as Usagi listened eagerly. "Coordinators compete to show off their pokemon's unique talents, and collect ribbons through coordinator events rather than badges from gyms."

"Wow that sounds really cool!" she exclaimed. Ash had been telling her all about different types of trainers and pokemon for the past couple hours, and she had quizzed him about his own experiences. Yet none of what Ash was telling her was triggering any memories. Inwardly, Usagi was a little worried by this, but figured that there was nothing she could do about it for now.

"I wonder if Professor Oak will give me a starter pokemon! Then we could travel together and both become amazing pokemon masters!" Usagi jumped in front of Ash, one hand extended in a 'V' for victory sign, and then groaned as pain flared up one leg. Ash made a sympathetic noise. "You need to take it easy! But I'll introduce you to him when we get to Pallet Town," he said as enthusiastically as she had. After all, Ash loved seeing people's reaction when they received their first pokemon. It reminded him of the day he got pikachu. He petted his friend, who was lazily draped over his shoulder.

"Also…maybe he can help with…you know," he said falteringly, gesturing towards her head. Usagi's smile faded momentarily at the reminder, but then lit up again. "I hope so. I'm sure somebody knows me. I just have to find that somebody."

Ash was impressed. He didn't think he'd be quite as positive in her situation.

He glanced forward as the trees began to thin out. "Check it out," he said, pointing towards the distance rooftops. "Pallet Town!"

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><p>As Misty chased water pokemon around the pool (who were more interested in playing than getting back into their pokeballs), she wondered how the hell Brock did it. Her respect for the older former gym leader increased – at least she didn't have a tribe of younger siblings to look after at the same time! Although, it would be nice, she thought, if her <em>older <em>siblings helped out now and then, even if they _had _made her the full-time gym leader.

She glowered as her gyarados splashed water all over the tiles. All three older sisters were conveniently out shopping, leaving her to not only exercise and feed all the gym's pokemon, but also clean the pool and surrounding area, ready for a performance later that night.

"Argh FINE!" She threw her wet hands up in the air, droplets sprinkling around her. She'd managed to get all but her gyarados back into their balls. "You win. Stay and play, but don't make more of a mess!" she lectured the pokemon, who she could tell (despite the ever-present scary face) was laughing at her. Sinking under the water, it curled up at the bottom of the pool. Sighing, Misty wandered over to the change room to get out of her swimwear and into some dry clothes.

Moments after she left the pool area, an ear-shattering crack shook the building, and a blinding light flared over the pool. Gyarados, startled from his nap, roared in fury, the top half of his body swiftly bursting out of the water in anger. It roared again as the light blinded it, and began thrashing wildly. Misty came sprinting out of the change rooms, slipping on the wet tiles as she tried to get to pool to calm gyarados down, one hand covering her eyes to protect them from the white light.

As the brightness dimmed, she heard a small squeak mixed in with the bellowing and thrashing, and, squinting, saw a round object fall from the fading light into the pool.

"SHOOT!" She dived into the pool, recklessly disregarding her furious gyarados, and swam through the churning water to the light blue object struggling to surface. Gyarados, realising that its owner was in the pool with him, slowly began to calm down, not wanting to hurt Misty, especially since she'd let him stay out of his pokeball.

Misty grabbed hold of the spherical pokemon, which was surprisingly light, and made her way to the surface and edge of the pool. As she broke through the water with a gasp, she looked down at the pokemon that had caused her gyarados to rage.

"A spheal!" she exclaimed. Pulling herself out of the pool and resting the spheal on her lap, she examined it. _Strange_. Misty thought she had seen something glowing on its body when they were in the water, but couldn't see it now. Shrugging it off as a reflection of the light on water, she ran her hands gently over the shivering pokemon.

"Oh you poor thing! What happened to you?" she cooed soothingly, noticing the various scrapes, cuts and burns on the poor spheal. "And how did you get into my pool little buddy?"

The spheal, whose trembling was slowly subsiding, gave an indignant squeak. "Sphe!"

Misty blinked, and then laughed, realising her mistake. "I'm sorry, you're a girl!" The spheal nodded emphatically, and then appeared to wince in pain.

"Well, no matter where you came from, let's get you healed," Misty said, carefully standing while carrying the pokemon. Gyarados had finally calmed down, and meekly went into its pokeball after a 'look' from Misty. After placing his ball next to the others, Misty took the injured spheal into a small room and put it gently into a shallow pool in the centre before dialling Cerulean City's PokeCentre.

"Nurse Joy? I have a pokemon I need you to look at…."

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><p>"Ash, you're home! It's been such a long time!" his mother gushed in surprise, giving him a tight hug as he wandered into the kitchen. "Look at you, every time I see you you've grown!"<p>

"Muuuum," he groaned, pulling his hat down over his eyes, embarrassed.

His mother ignored his protest, instead transferring her attention to the little electric mouse on the floor. "Pikachu! It's so good to see you again! I see you've been taking good care of Ash." Pikachu jumped up into her arms for a cuddle. "Pi pikachu!" it said, nuzzling her cheek.

Usagi stood awkwardly to one side. It was one thing to be invited to travel with Ash back to Pallet Town, but quite another to actually be invited to stay at his house. She hoped she wasn't imposing.

Delia Ketchum noticed her standing in the doorway, looking a little lost. "Oh and you must be one of Ash's friends!" she exclaimed. "He didn't tell me you were coming," - she shot her son a 'look', making him shuffle in embarrassment - "but all of Ash's friends are welcome here."

"Ah…thanks Mrs Ketchum," Usagi replied with a shy smile. "My name is Usagi."

"What a lovely name!" Delia said, before noticing the blonde teenager swaying wearily, with multiple cuts and scrapes down her arms and legs. "Oh dear, you look awful. What happened to you? Let's get you into a proper bath, and then into bed." She gently pushed the exhausted Usagi upstairs. "Ash, could you please ask Mimey to look after the dinner so it doesn't burn?" she called back down as she led Usagi to the spare room. "And there's leftover pasta in the fridge if you're hungry right now."

For a moment Ash just stood there, before grinning wryly and turning towards the fridge. It never mattered how long he had been gone for, his mum never changed. It was a comforting thought.

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><p>The next morning, Usagi woke to the sound of…something….crowing? She blinked blearily at the clock on the bedside table. "Uuuugh it's too early…" she moaned, rolling over and burying her head under the pillow. "Luna, make that bird shut….up…." Her voice faded as she promptly fell back to sleep, completely unaware of her casual slip of the tongue.<p>

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><p>Three hours later, a yawning Usagi made her way downstairs, following the smell of pancakes. She still didn't have any clothes, except for her ruined ones, so she stayed in the pyjamas Mrs Ketchum had provided the night before. Ash and his mum were already sitting at the kitchen table, Ash also still in pjs and yawning widely. Usagi was startled awake by the weird looking pokemon standing by the stove, making the pancakes.<p>

Delia looked up from talking with Ash to greet her latest guest. "Usagi! Good morning. You look much better today. Come, sit and eat!" She was already up and pushing Usagi into a vacant chair. "Mimey is making pancakes – he's quite good at them too."

Usagi blinked. "Mi…mey?" She looked at the pokemon, who gave her a wave, and then back at Delia. "Mimey is my mum's Mr. Mime," Ash explained, always eager to talk pokemon, even while still waking up. "It's a psychic-type pokemon."

Usagi's attention was drawn away from the strange humanoid pokemon by the stack of pancakes sitting in front of her. Ash was already wolfing his down, and Usagi had no hesitation in following suit.

Delia shook her head in amusement as she watched the pair over her cup of coffee. No doubt Ash would be off again in a matter of days, but she was still happy that he had come home for a short break.

Once the pair had finished breakfast and were contentedly full, Delia brought up the next matter at hand. Ash had told her about Usagi's circumstances the night before, after Usagi had gone to bed. Delia had resolved to do what she could to help the poor girl.

"Now, Usagi," she said kindly, putting her empty cup down. "Ash has told me how you two met. I'm guessing that you still can't remember anything?"

Usagi shook her head slowly. "I thought…maybe there was something…" she struggled to remember. Something about….waking up this morning? Whatever it was had fled, and Usagi gave up, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, that's okay," Delia gave her a bright smile and patted one of her hands. "I'm sure it will come back to you eventually. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want. Now, I think it's time for a shopping spree," she winked at the stunned girl. "We need to get you some new clothes."

"But…I…don't have any…uh…" Usagi mumbled, a red flush creeping across her cheeks. Delia waved one hand, cutting her off. "My treat," she said with a wide smile. "Think of it as an early birthday present…or a late one..."

Usagi broke into a grateful smile. "Thank you so much Mrs Ketchum. You don't know how much I appreciate this."

Ash rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was go clothes shopping. He'd had enough of that with May and Dawn. Delia caught her son's reaction and tried not to laugh.

"How about we go shopping, and you head up and see Professor Oak," she suggested to him. "Then I can drop Usagi off at the lab on my way home and you can introduce her to Professor Oak."

"Yeah! That's a great idea mum!"

Usagi tried to muffle a laugh. It was obvious Ash's mother knew him too well.

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><p>Giovanni watched from the shadows of the doorway as the girl subconsciously moaned and writhed in pain. There was little he could do – he already had his team of doctors working on her. Right now she was hooked up to a drip and a variety of monitors, yet despite her treatable external injuries, his doctors said they had no idea what was wrong with the pale child.<p>

Giovanni had a pretty good idea what was wrong. It had been a day since she had fallen into his lap, and the girl had only woken up once. He'd been expecting…something else. Not the scared little girl who whimpered in fear when she awoke. Definitely not the little girl who had looked up at him with large dark eyes, a huge contrast against her pale skin. And certainly not the little girl who called out for her father before she fell unconscious again.

Giovanni had told her that she would be fine, that he'd found her and would look after her. After all, it was in his best interests. His left hand subconsciously brushed across the opposite wrist where his recently acquired 'tattoos' were now etched. _Yes. Definitely in my best interests._

One of the monitors started blaring, breaking his train of thought.

An internal struggle was happening. And it looked like the girl was losing.

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><p><strong>AN:** _I'm pretty happy with this chapter ^^. I wonder if you guys can see where this is going? Any guesses? Anyway, please R&R! Next chapter will be uploaded soon! ~ Gummi_


	3. I choose you?

_**A/N:** Would you believe the USB stick I had the entire story on...I lost .. I had to rewrite this chapter from scratch, which was hell annoying. Luckily I had read it a few days before I lost the USB, so I was able to recall pretty much all of it. But it does mean that I still need to rewrite the next chapter *le sigh!*. _

_Thanks for the reviews! Please continue to R&R!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon**

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><p><strong>3. I choose...you?<strong>

Usagi waved as Mrs Ketchum drove off, the back seat of her car packed full of shopping bags. Usagi felt a lot more comfortable now that she was in her 'own' clothes, dressed in jeans, a light pink t-shirt and white sneakers. Although she wanted to bound up the stairs to the lab, she took it easy due to her injuries.

The lab doors slid open, and Usagi peeked in, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Hello?" she called out cautiously, not seeing Ash.

A brown-haired boy in a green shirt popped his head out from behind a machine. "Oh hi! You must be Usagi. Ash told us you were coming. I'm Tracey," he said in a friendly voice, gesturing for her to come inside.

Usagi wandered in, eyes wide as she looked at all the computers and machinery. It didn't really look like a place Ash would really want to come to. Tracey noticed her eyeing the lab. "Ash is outside playing with his pokemon," he said with a smile. "I'll take you out there. The Professor is there as well."

Usagi followed Tracey out to a large field, where a group of pokemon were grouped in one area, and appeared to be looking at something.

Suddenly Ash burst out from the middle of the group, laughing and waving his hat. "Bet you guys can't catch me this time!" he yelled as he raced across the field, a herd of excited, happy pokemon charging after him.

An elderly man was leaning against a fence chuckling. "He certainly loves his pokemon," he said to no one in particular. He turned as he saw Usagi and Tracey heading towards him. "Ah, you must be Usagi. Ash has told us a lot about you," he said with a warm smile. "I'm Professor Oak."

Usagi smiled back at the professor. He wasn't at all what she had pictured - she had expected him to be serious and science-y, but the man in front of her seemed to be quite cheerful and friendly. "Nice to meet you, Professor," she replied before turning back to Ash's antics. "His pokemon seem to really like him," she said wistfully as she watched them all having fun.

"He's a surprisingly good trainer," Professor Oak said, also watching Ash. "Who would have thought it, the day he arrived at my lab in his pyjamas wanting his starter pokemon?" he laughed at the memory.

Ash jogged back over to them, breathless. "They're all looking great Professor! Thanks for taking such good care of them for me."

"It's no problem Ash, and they've really helped with my research. Now, you must be hungry after all that running around. I've got lunch organised up at the lab..."

"YEAH! Let's go Usagi!" Ash was already over the fence and running toward the lab before Professor Oak finished his sentence. Usagi laughed and slowly jogged after him, leaving Tracey and Professor Oak to bring up the rear. "I honestly don't know where he gets all that energy," Professor Oak muttered as he and Tracey followed the excited pair.

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><p>Lunch was an array of sandwiches and fruit, and Tracey had to cover a grin when he saw that Usagi's appetite was just as ferocious as Ash's.<p>

"Now Usagi," Professor Oak began, once everyone had finished eating. "Ash has told me about your situation, and I'm afraid I can't help you, but I've put out the word to the other professors in different regions as well as some researchers. If anything comes up, I'll let you know straight away."

"Thank you so much Professor," Usagi said gratefully.

"Oh yes, speaking of which, I need to give you...now...where did I put the blasted thing?" Professor Oak began searching around the lab, creating more of a mess as he sifted through various piles of paper.

Tracey rolled his eyes. "If you're looking for the pokedex you pulled out for Usagi, it's over by the main computer."

"Oh yes, that's right." Professor Oak found the pokedex and brought it over. "I was looking up information about evolution stones. They're fascinating things, you know, and there are a surprising number...

"Professor! The pokedex?" Tracey interrupted him politely. Once Professor Oak started on his research, it could be hard to stop him.

"Oh, right. Of course." He turned to Usagi, presenting her with a light pink rectangle. "This is an upgraded pokedex, which includes cell phone and GPS capabilities," he told her as she took it. "I'll be able to call you on it if I find out any information. My number is already programmed in...see...here..." he pressed a few buttons to bring up the contact list.

"Now, since I assume you're going to be travelling with Ash, we'll have to set you up with a starter pokemon. Shall we?" he began moving towards another door.

Ash let out a whoop, pushing back his chair so hard it fell. "This is awesome Usagi! You get to pick your starter!"

Comprehension began to dawn on her face as she realised what was happening. "Oh my god! I GET MY OWN POKEMON!" she squealed, jumping to her feet as well, eyes sparkling in excitement. She raced through the doorway Professor Oak had gone through, Ash hot on her heels. He loved seeing people get their first pokemon, and he wanted to know which one she would bond with.

The new room was slightly smaller, with what looked like hospital monitoring equipment hooked up to computers. In the centre was a circular raised platform. Professor Oak pressed a few buttons, and three pokeballs rose out of the holes in the platform. "Here are Kanto's three starter types. Starters are always a grass, fire or water type, chosen as they are the easiest for new trainers to handle," Professor Oak explained as he picked up the three balls.

Three bursts of red light lit up the room as he pressed the button to open each of them. Usagi stared at the three pokemon sitting on the floor in front of her, staring at her. "Oh wow you are all so cute!" she gushed as she kneeled down. She reached out for a Charmander. "You are just so adorable!" she squealed, moving to hug it.

"No, wait, Usagi!"

The Charmander, looking pretty miffed, let out a burst of flame at Usagi's face, causing her to quickly drop him. She coughed, wiping ash away from her face.

"Charmander! That wasn't very nice! She was just trying to be your friend!" Ash told off the Charmander, which had now turned its back on them. Usagi smiled brightly. One rejection didn't matter. "That's okay, there are still two more of you cuties here," she said, turning to the Squirtle, which had retreated into its shell.

"Hey little guy. Don't you want to come out and say hello?" Usagi cooed comfortingly, picking up the shell. But no matter how much she tried to coax him, the Squirtle refused to come out. Sighing a little sadly after a few minutes, she put the shell down on the floor again.

She moved to the Bulbasaur, but stopped as a low growl came from its throat. "Hey, Bulbasaur, what's wrong? Usagi's really nice," Ash told the Bulbasaur as its growl deepened. Both he and Usagi missed the glance Tracey and Professor Oak gave each other.

"No...it's...it's fine," Usagi said with a shaky laugh, standing up and slowly backing away from the angry grass pokemon. "I guess they know that I'd be hopeless as a pokemon trainer and they don't want me." In her retreat, Usagi bumped into a bench behind her. A glass container holding an egg rocked sharply and began to fall.

"THE EGG!"

Professor Oak and Tracey both lurched forwards, shock written across their faces. Usagi eyes widened as she realised what she'd done, and, turning, dived for the falling container, catching it seconds before it hit the floor.

"Oh my god...I'm so sorry...it's true...I'd be an awful trainer!" Usagi burst out tearfully as the Professor carefully took the jar from her. Hooking the container up to a nearby computer, he ran a few quick tests, while Usagi waited, holding her breath and trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes from falling.

"Pika pika chupi!"

"That's right Pikachu! You would be a great trainer!" Ash curled his hand into a determined fist. "You just haven't found the right pokemon yet! Remember, I didn't start with one of the regular starters, I started with Pikachu, right buddy?"

"Pi Pikachu."

"See? You'll find the right one, I'm sure of it! Pikachu thinks so too!" Ash babbled at the stricken girl, trying to alleviate her depression.

"I guess..." Usagi mumbled woefully, eyes on the egg.

After what seemed like ages, Professor Oak turned back to them all with a smile. "It's fine, there was no damage done," he said cheerfully. Usagi let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry for startling you Usagi, it's just that this was a difficult egg to procure. I'm not sure I'd have another chance of getting one."

"What kind of egg is it, Professor?" Ash asked.

"Um..." Usagi tried to cut into the conversation, but Ash and Professor Oak were becoming animated.

"Oh well, my grandson Gary was in the area doing some research for me, and I asked him if it was possible for him to bring me back one of these, and luckily.."

"Guys?"

"Where did he find it? What kind of pokemon did it come from?"

"Oh well actually it's..."

"WHY IS THE EGG GLOWING?"

The pair turned in surprise as Usagi yelled out, and then glanced at the egg. It was glowing white. "Oh my! It's hatching!" Professor Oak ran over to the computer, typing furiously.

"Hatching?" Usagi repeated blankly. Anxiety began to well up again. "Oh my god. Is it coming early? Is it my fault? Will it be okay?"

"Don't worry, research has shown us that eggs rarely hatch prematurely, only when the pokemon inside deems itself ready," the Professor replied, distracted by the rapid lines of data appearing on the screen.

"This is so cool Usagi!" Ash exclaimed, excited. The glow intensified sharply, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. After a few seconds, the light vanished.

"Cleffa?"

Usagi looked down. A cute little pink and brown pokemon was trying to climb up her jeans, and was looking put out that it wasn't succeeding.

"Wow you are such a cutie pie!" Usagi squealed, picking up the Cleffa and nuzzling it. The Cleffa wriggled in Usagi's arms. "Cleff cleffa."

"A Cleffa! That's so cool Professor!" Ash whipped out his pokedex and pointed it at Usagi.

"_Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokemon"_ an electronic voice read out. _"Cleffa are said to form circles and dance as if they are flying on nights when there are many falling stars."_

"Indeed. Quite hard to find," Professor Oak acknowledged. "I've been wanting to study one for some time now. Gary found the egg in Mt Moon, and sent it to me."

Usagi went to hand the Cleffa back to the Professor. "You have to go back to Professor Oak now cutie pie. He's going to take good care of you," she said, a little sad at having to give the Cleffa back.

The Cleffa started wailing loudly. Startled, Usagi, pulled it back towards her. The Cleffa stopped crying. As nothing seemed to be wrong, Usagi moved to hand it back to the Professor, but it started wailing again. Usagi pulled back again, and it stopped. Usagi looked up at the Professor, worried that she'd done something wrong in picking up the Cleffa. She found Professor Oak and Tracey raising their eyebrows at each other.

"What do you think, Tracey?"

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea Professor."

Ash glanced back and forth between the pair, his own confusion mounting. "What? What is it?"

Clearing his throat, Professor Oak turned back towards Usagi. "Well, it looks as though you found your starter pokemon young lady," he said to Usagi with a smile. It took a while for his words to sink in. "Starter...pokemon?"

"Well, it appears the Cleffa is already attached to you, and pokemon do tend to choose their trainers. Besides, I think it would be much more beneficial to my research if Cleffa goes with you – but I insist that you send back reports."

"YEAH!" Ash pumped a fist in the air, Pikachu mimicking his movement. "You got your first pokemon Usagi!"

Usagi looked down at the pokemon nestled in her arms. "You mean...I can have it?" A huge grin spread across her face. "Thank you so much Professor! I promise I'll look after it and send you reports every two weeks! I'll be a great trainer!" she gushed, arms tightening around the little pink bundle. "Cleff!" it squeaked indignantly.

"Hey look," Ash pointed. Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle had all come over, and appeared to be happy and smiling at the pair. "It looks like they're congratulating you too."

Usagi was too happy to be upset that the other three had rejected her, and let her Cleffa down to play with them, missing the look that passed between Tracey and Professor Oak.

After loading Usagi up with extra pokeballs and pokemon food and instructions on caring for a baby pokemon, Professor Oak and Tracey waved farewell as Ash and an ecstatic Usagi (with a Cleffa in her arms) made their way back down the hill to Ash's house.

As they disappeared, Tracey dropped his hand slowly, frowning. "You don't think Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur knew that egg was going to hatch today, and that the reason they were mean to Usagi was because they wanted her to bond with Cleffa, do you?" he asked the Professor quietly.

Professor Oak's eyes stayed on the empty road Ash and Usagi had taken. "Yes, as a matter of fact that's _exactly_ what I think, Tracey." His eyebrows creased into a frown.

"But I wish I knew why."

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><p><em><strong>AN: **Perhaps not the pokemon you thought Usagi was going to end up with! However I have a very good reason for giving her a Cleffa, which you will all just have to wait for ;D. If Usagi DID end up with a starter, which one do you think would have suited her of the three originals? _

_Please continue to R&R! Hopefully I can get the next chapter up shortly! _

_~Gummi_


	4. Blackness of despair

**A/N: **_Hey all! Thanks for the reviews! I finally managed to rewrite this chapter from memory (ever tried it? It's hard)._

_Sorry it's way shorter than the others. The reason is because I think the impact of this chapter would have been lessened significantly if I had continued with another section of the story. Hoping to get the next chapter up shortly._

_Anyway, please enjoy, and R&R!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon**

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><p><strong>4. Blackness of despair.<strong>

The girl opened her blood red eyes, letting out a low growl. Spying Giovanni close by, she quickly shot out a hand, attempting to grab him by the wrist. Giovanni was no fool, and stepped back out of range, preventing her from taking his energy again.

She hissed at him in anger, but instead of replying, Giovanni merely snapped his fingers. A young male grunt came jogging in, raising a hand in a salute to the Rocket leader.

"Go check her pulse," Givoanni ordered him.

The grunt was a little confused as to the boss' instructions, what with the number of medical professionals in the room, but he knew better than to question orders. Nodding affirmative, he walked over to the sickly girl.

The moment he was close enough, she reached out and latched on to his arm. His eyes widened, and he began screaming as he felt his life being drained out of him.

Eventually he collapsed onto the floor, dead. The girl sank back against the bed, temporarily sated.

_This vessel...it is failing. It...cannot hold my power. I...need...another. ANOTHER!_

Giovanni frowned. "I have numerous people who I could provide as another...vessel...however the same problem will arise."

She glared at him, but he continued, ignoring it. "However, I may have something more suitable that my scientists have been working on for some time. It is very nearing completion, but needs a soul. I believe we can come to some sort of..._arrangement."_

_I wish to see this new vessel immediately, before I make ANY such promises with YOU._

Giovanni bowed his head slightly. "Of course." He snapped his fingers again, and two of the doctors came over to him nervously. "Prepare to take her down to the main lab," he instructed. He looked over dismissively at the body of the young grunt. "And have someone remove that."

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><p><em>This vessel is perfect for my needs. I MUST HAVE IT!<em>

"Then we have an agreement?"

_...YES. Begin the process._

Giovanni smiled.

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><p>Hotaru curled tighter in hopeless despair, a tiny ball of light surrounded by roiling blackness that threatened to consume her.<p>

She could feel her body dying, and there was nothing she could do about it. It was taking her soul all its effort to keep the blackness at bay.

What would happen when her body eventually died? Would her soul be reborn? Would she be left to drift endlessly in the darkness?

The soul of Hotaru flickered at the possibilities.

Suddenly, the blackness surged around her. _No!_ her soul cried out. The blackness was tearing its way out of her body and into another vessel. Hotaru knew with sudden certainly that if the blackness broke from her completely, her body would instantly die and her soul ripped into a thousand pieces from the aftershock of the transfer.

She would cease to exist.

The blackness was pulling away from her at a faster rate. Hotaru's thoughts raced. Should she abandon her hollow, dead body and go with it? Would she even have the strength to keep holding the blackness back if she did?

Or would an ending be a relief? Perhaps...perhaps that was the best way. No one could ever use her or her abilities for their own gains again.

Hotaru's soul wrenched in despairing indecision.

A tiny flash deep within the darkness startled her. She saw a tiny pinprick of light, much like her own soul. It seemed to call to her.

The blackness had almost left her, and the tiny light Hotaru could see was becoming lost in the blackness. Soon it would be gone...and so would the blackness...and so would she.

In a split second decision, the tiny ball of light that was Hotaru's soul fled into the heart of the moving, roiling blackness, towards the other light. With the last vestiges of blackness tearing away, her body expelled its final breath.

The black mew awoke.

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><p><strong>AN: **_I really enjoyed writing that chapter! Anyone guess that Mistress 9 would essentially 'become' a pokemon? :) R&R!_


	5. Flame on

_**A/N:**_ _Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad people are enjoying the story. I'm trying to keep this fic unpredictable so that it stays interesting. There's no Usagi or Ash again in this chapter, but I promise they will be in the next one! I'm sure that you guys can probably guess who's making an appearance in this chapter just from the title LOL!_

_Please enjoy and R&R!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon**_

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><p><strong>5. Flame on<strong>

Brock had spent a week or so after saying goodbye to Ash catching up with his brothers and sisters in Pewter City. Forrester had become a lot stronger as a trainer, and Brock felt confident he would be a great gym leader.

Since making his decision to become a pokemon doctor, Brock had been eager to start, not wanting to waste any more time. Today was the day he was finally going to enrol in a pokemonarian* course.

Leaving his pokemon at the gym with his younger brother (all except his Happiny), Brock headed towards the Pokemon Centre in Pewter to talk to Nurse Joy about enrolling. He had been researching his options, and it seemed that most pokemon doctors studied part time at their local college, and undertook workplace training with a Nurse Joy. However, since the pokemonarian colleges were based in the larger cities of Celadon and Saffron, many students studied their college component via correspondence instead, with a local Nurse Joy picking up the training they would normally get through hands-on tutorial sessions. Brock, not particularly wanting to move cities, decided to see if Pewter City's Nurse Joy would be willing to train him if he enrolled in the correspondence course instead.

He was smiling as he walked through the town, confident she would say yes. He'd been flirting with her for years now, so the two had a closer relationship than he had with Nurse Joys in other cities. She was well used to his actions, and was usually amused at the varying lines he could come up with.

The Pewter City Pokemon Centre was a surprisingly busy one for such a small town – mostly because it was full of trainers who had come through Viridian Forest or Mt Moon and whose pokemon needed urgent attention. However Brock was unprepared for the mayhem he came across when he walked into the centre.

The place was a wreck. Upturned and scorched furniture was strewn across the normally tidy waiting area, and bits of the carpet were still smouldering. Younger kids were yelling or crying, while older kids tried to calm them down. Frequently they would dive to the floor to avoid a burst of flame that came from under one a computer desk in one corner.

Nurse Joy was frantically trying to calm everyone down and put out small fires as her Chansey tried to reason with the pokemon hiding under the desk. Hearing the 'ding' of the double doors opening, Nurse Joy glanced over to see Brock standing in the doorway, a confused expression on his face as he took in the surroundings.

"Brock! Thank goodness! I need your help," she called over to him, the stress of the situation evident in her voice as she batted out another fire which has started on a nearby fern. "I've got an injured Vulpix in here causing...problems. Can you get everyone outside? The noise and confusion is just making it worse."

Nodding, Brock switched gears straight away, jumping on a low table and calling out over the top of all of them in a firm voice. "Everybody outside, NOW. This is a Pokemon Centre emergency." After dealing with his brothers and sisters for so many years, he knew how to manage a horde. After the initial surprise, the kids started moving out the doors, some glancing back at the ward entrance, obviously wanting to take their injured pokemon with them, some still crying. Luckily none of them appeared to be injured.

"Don't worry," Brock smiled at them as he herded them outside. "Nurse Joy has the situation under control. Your pokemon will be fine. Just let her sort it out, and you'll be able to go back and see your pokemon in no time." He led them over to a nearby park. "Why don't you guys stay here for a while, and when everything has been sorted out, I'll come and get you." The older trainers nodded while the younger ones glanced over at the playground. Brock winked at the older trainers. "You guys be sure to take care of the younger trainers, okay? It's a big responsibility, but I think you're all up for it." The five or so older kids looked at each other eagerly, wanting to impress the former gym leader of Pewter City. "Yessir!" they replied firmly, and began ushering the younger ones to the playground.

Brock grinned and jogged back to the Pokemon Centre to see if Nurse Joy needed a hand.

_A/N:*like veterinarian. See what I did there? ;)._

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><p>As it turned out, things weren't faring so well from her end. The Vulpix refused to let her or Chansey get close to it, and both of them were covered in minor burns. Nurse Joy sighed when she saw Brock re-enter the building. "Thank you so much for that Brock. Unfortunately I can't seem to get this little girl to calm down," she gestured towards the ball of orangered that was curled in an angry ball under the computer desk. It was emitting a low growl.

"I don't understand it. An older gentleman brought her in, saying he found her unconscious near your gym after seeing some bright light burst. But when I went to treat her, she woke up, and has been like this ever since." She frowned. "She doesn't appear to be a trainer's pokemon. I wonder why she distrusts us so much."

Brock's eyebrows lowered as he considered the angry, hurt Vulpix. "Maybe we should leave her there for the moment and let her calm down," he suggested slowly. "She's woken up in a strange place after being injured – perhaps the shock is making her act this way."

Brock glanced around. "In the meantime, why don't I help you sort this mess out?" Nurse Joy smiled gratefully at him. "That would be wonderful, thank you Brock. Chansey, please roll up that burnt rug for me and start sweeping up all the ash." Nurse Joy gave Chansey a conspiratory wink. Chansey winked back, realising that the area she was sweeping was ideal for keeping an eye on the Vulpix but was far enough away so that it wouldn't feel threatened.

* * *

><p>The growling eventually subsided as they tidied, but they pretended to ignore the Vulpix. Eventually the Pokemon Centre was mostly back to its former glory, with a few singed spots here and there and less furniture than before. It had taken them the better part of two hours to fix everything up. Rubbing his forehead tiredly, Brock sneakily glanced over to the corner. The Vulpix must have worn herself out with all those ember attacks because she was sound asleep. He grinned, and motioned for Nurse Joy to stay quiet. He crept to the back area and poured a bowl of water. Sneaking over to the Vulpix, he set the water down next to her. The clink of the bowl hitting the floor startled the Vulpix awake, and she was instantly up and growling. However when she realised Brock was slowly backing away with his arms raised, and there was a fresh bowl of water in front of her, the Vulpix settled down a little, taking a tentative lick of the bowl.<p>

Brock stayed where he was, about two metres away from her, squatting on the floor so he was almost at the same level as the Vulpix. She finished drinking and looked cautiously over at him. Nurse Joy was noticeably ignoring the pair and going about her regular duties, hoping that Brock's natural skill with pokemon would draw Vulpix out.

"Hey there girl. How are you feeling? You look like you've had a rough day," Brock said in a comforting voice to the Vulpix. She sniffed, giving him a dirty look. "Okay, a really rough day. But you're hurt and tired." He held one hand out to her slowly. "My name is Brock. I'm going to become a pokemon doctor. Behind me is Nurse Joy. She wants to help make you better."

Nurse Joy gave the Vulpix a friendly smile, her Chansey coming up next to her.

"We're not here to hurt you. How about you come out when you feel like it, and Nurse Joy can have a look at you. She's excellent at what she does, and you can sleep here in the centre while you're healing. How does that sound?" Brock continued in a soothing voice. To his surprise, the Vulpix stood and took a tentative step forward, ears flattened as she tried to work out the situation. Another step and a questioning growl.

"Only if you want to," Brock said, smiling in response. The Vulpix's ears rose a little, and she took another couple slow steps forward, sniffing Brock's hand. He turned it over so that his palm was facing up. "Nice to meet you, Vulpix," he said. The Vulpix hesitantly nudged the palm of his hand with her nose, before dancing back a couple steps, wary. He grinned, and raised his hands again. She slowly walked towards him again, and circled him. Brock didn't move, not wanting to startle her. The Vulpix suddenly sat next to him and yawned. Brock laughed. "I take it that's a yes?" The Vulpix nodded. "Well okay then. I'll stay here with you while Nurse Joy is healing you okay?" The Vulpix yipped, and turned towards Nurse Joy, who was giving Brock a relieved smile.

"Okay, let's have a look at you little one," she cooed, bending down to gently pick up the Vulpix. Brock grinned as he stood up. It looked as though everything was turning out okay.

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><p><em><strong>AN:**_ _Wow five chapters down already! And still so much story to go haha! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It changed dramatically from what I had originally planned, and I think it turned out MUCH better. I've always had a soft spot for Brock – he's one of my favourite characters :). Who are yours? Please continue to R&R! Next chapter hopefully up soon!_


	6. Today must be Cat-urday

_**A/N: **Firstly, thanks to my reviewers! You guys are awesome :). _

_I just want to apologise to my readers for not updating in like...forever! This chapter has actually been ready for quite some time, I just failed at getting it uploaded! On a positive note, I have almost finished the chapter that comes...after the next chapter...I know I know, totally out of order, but I had the inspiration and just had to write it out. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and I'll get the next couple up shortly! Don't forget to R&R! _

**Discliamer: I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon**

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><p><strong>6. Today must be Cat-urday...<strong>

Ash and Usagi left Pallet Town less than a week after arriving, the pair cheerily waving goodbye to Ash's mother, who put on a brave face as she watched her son disappear for the umpteenth time up the road. As per usual, Ash left all his pokemon with Professor Oak, except Pikachu, who was happily riding on Ash's shoulder.

Ash wanted to check out a new region Professor Oak had told him about – Unova. But to get there, they had to catch the ferry out of Vermillion City. "It'll be awesome!" Ash was gushing about it. "I hear they have some really cool pokemon. And we can see Misty and Brock on our way to Vermillion!"

Ash had been a little sad when Brock had left him only a few weeks earlier, telling him that he was going to go on to become a pokemon doctor. Any extra time he could spend with the older boy would be great in his books. And as for Misty...well...Ash felt a little guilty he hadn't dropped in to see her on his way back to Pallet, but he had been eager to taste his mum's home cooking after so long.

Usagi had healed up during the few days rest, but still had some minor scars, a distinct reminder of her loss of memory. However her excitement over her newly acquired Cleffa and her pokemon trainer journey had pushed her memory loss concerns aside for the moment.

"So, do you think you'll be a trainer or a coordinator? Or maybe both! I know some people who do that," Ash chatted away to Usagi as they came up to Viridian Forest.

"I'm really not sure," she answered, holding her Cleffa in her arms. "They both sound fun, although being a trainer sounds a little...dangerous. And hurts the pokemon." She gave Cleffa a tight squeeze, not wanting anything to happen to the ball of pink cuteness in her arms. It squeaked indignantly.

"But some pokemon like battles – it tests their courage and skills against other strong pokemon, right Pikachu?"

"Pi."

"I guess so," Usagi said, glancing down at her Cleffa as they continued walking.

Usagi and Ash were chatting about gym badges when there was a rustling in the grass nearby. Usagi nearly jumped out of her skin, but Ash excitedly pulled out his pokedex, pointing it at the small green pokemon that emerged for Usagi's benefit.

"_Caterpie. A bug pokemon. It's voracious appetite compels it to devour leaves bigger than itself without hesitation. It releases a terribly strong odour from its antennae."_

"Cool!" Ash said as he stuffed the pokedex back into his jacket pocket. "You want to fight it, Usagi? Caterpies are really low level, so it should be a breeze for your Cleffa."

Usagi stepped back from the weird-looking bug pokemon, which seemed to be eyeballing her. "I don't know..."

Cleffa wriggled in her arms and looked up at her. "You want to fight?" she asked it, surprised. It nodded more vigorously, and squirmed, hopping out of her arms and on to the ground, taking a determined stance.

"Cleff cleffa cleff."

"Well, okay, if you're sure..." she said, uncertainty evident in her voice.

"You can do it Usagi! You just have to believe in yourself and trust your pokemon!" Ash cheered from the sidelines.

Usagi took her position a couple metres behind her Cleffa. She'd spent a fair amount of time learning everything she could about her new pokemon, so she knew Cleffa's moves off by heart.

The Caterpie snorted, ready to fight this upstart new trainer.

"Okay! Cleffa! Um...use...Charm on that caterpillar!" Usagi instructed, pointing at the Caterpie. Ash tried not to laugh at Usagi's verbal error. Who ever heard of a caterPILLAR?

Cleffa struck a cute pose, winking at the Caterpie. The look of determination on the Caterpie's face diminished a little, but it quickly retaliated, firing a string shot at Cleffa. Cleffa squeaked as both its hands became entangled in the sticky substance.

"Ewww! No! Cleffa, use...um...Pound! Break out of that stuff!"

Cleffa began to pound the ground, causing dirt to fly everywhere, covering up the stickiness but not freeing her hands. The Caterpie lurched forward in a Tackle, determined not to let this little fairy beat it. "Watch out Cleffa!" Usagi yelled, resisting the urge to run forward and bat the Caterpie away from her pokemon.

Cleffa clumsily managed to dodge the attack, but now she was stuck with a tree at her back. Usagi had a flash of inspiration. "Cleffa, use the rough bark to rub that gooey stuff off your hands!"

Cleffa instantly went to work, madly shredding the sticky string off her hands. The Caterpie rounded for another Tackle just as Cleffa was able to get her hands clean of the string. "Cleffa quick! Dodge that and use Pound on Caterpie," Usagi cried out, adrenaline rushing.

Cleffa waited until the best moment, and then cart wheeled out of the way as the Caterpie hit the tree instead, stunning itself. Before it had a chance to recover, Cleffa hit it with a Pound attack, causing it to faint. Ash gestured frantically at her. "Throw a ball at it Usagi! Before it wakes up!"

Usagi blinked, and began rummaging through her backpack, strewing stuff across the nearby area. Ash groaned, completely forgetting how bad he had been when he first started. "AHA!" Usagi triumphantly stood up, holding one of the balls. Of course the pokeballs would be buried at the bottom of her bag. She enlarged it, and tossed it carefully at the unconscious Caterpie. It was sucked into the pokeball with a flash, rocking only once before the red light beeped off.

"YEAH! YOU CAUGHT A CATERPIE!" Ash pumped a fist in the air, Pikachu mimicking him.

Usagi stared at the still ball for a second, before breaking out into a huge grin. She ran over to the ball and her Cleffa, giving Cleffa a huge hug as she scooped up the pokeball. "You were awesome Cleffa!" "Cleff cleffa," Cleffa said happily. "Yay I caught my first pokemon!"

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><p>The Glameow woke up, its whole body aching. It looked around, confused. It meowed, and swiftly blinked, seemingly surprised to hear its own voice. It moved its head around, surveying its body before giving a surprised squeal of horror. Spying a pond nearby, the Glameow dashed over to it, inspecting its reflection.<p>

What in the world? It slowly sat back, thinking. Its curled tail twitched back and forth as anxiety began to seep in. The Glameow suddenly shook itself, trying to clear its head, and trotted back to the area she had woken up. From that point, she began moving in wider and wider circles, seemingly searching for something...or someone.

* * *

><p>Usagi didn't like the idea of keeping pokemon confined in their balls, so she released Caterpie almost as soon as she caught it. The Caterpie, which Dex had confirmed as female, was now sitting draped over her shoulder, making cute crooning noises in her ear. Cleffa, was still wrapped in Usagi's arms, while Pikachu was riding in his usual position on Ash's shoulder.<p>

The thrill of being a pokemon trainer was already starting to wear off for Usagi, who was getting tired of tramping through the forest. "How long until we get to the next city?" she whined mid-afternoon, her legs already hurting. Ash grinned at her. She reminded him a lot of Dawn, who always wanted to sleep in a real bed rather than camp out. "Not too long. Probably tomorrow mid-morning, depending on if we run into other trainers or pokemon."

"But I'm hungry!" she wailed, slumping to the ground.

Ash laughed. "Me too! Let's stop for a break. I'm pretty sure I saw my mom stash chips and chocolate into our bags this morning."

Faster than Ash would have thought possible, Usagi had her backpack off and upended over the grass. Caterpie had tumbled off her shoulder, giving her an indignant "Terpie!", before wandering over to a tasty looking bush.

Ash and Pikachu sat down next to Usagi, who had already ripped open a packet of chips and was stuffing them into her mouth. Pikachu made a face and pointed between Ash and Usagi. "H...hey! I am not just like that!" Ash replied, embarrassed. Cleffa and Usagi both burst out laughing, having seen what Ash was like at the dinner table.

"Okay...maybe a little," he grumbled as he fished around in his own bag for chips.

Once they had both finished stuffing themselves with junk food, Usagi stood and stretched, feeling refreshed. "Okay! I can totally get through this forest!" she said cheerfully, pumping one hand into the air. Ash grinned at her before scrambling up and picking up his backpack again. "Yeah! And maybe we'll see more cool pokemon before we leave the forest!"

In truth, it had been a little quiet, but Ash tallied that up to the fact that he and Usagi had been chatting almost non-stop since they entered. They were probably scaring away all the bug types that lived here.

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><p>The Glameow watched as they left the area, safely hidden from prying eyes amongst the leaves of a tree. Hopping down, it padded silently after them, always making sure to remain at a distance, and out of sight.<p>

* * *

><p>It was midday the following day when they started noticing the trees beginning to thin out around them, allowing more light to seep in. Ash had been surprised at how easily Usagi had been able to fall asleep the previous night. In fact, both of them had overslept – Pikachu had actually needed to give them each a sharp zap to get them up and moving, otherwise, Pikachu was sure, they both would have slept until noon.<p>

They had seen a number of other bug pokemon the previous day, mostly weedles and caterpie. They'd even caught a glimpse of a pincer, but Usagi hadn't been interested in catching them, happy with the two she currently had. Ash, on the other hand, had become insanely excited when they came across a hard-to-find scyther. He'd always wanted one because they looked so cool and strong.

It had taken some effort, even with Pikachu, because the scyther was ridiculously fast, but he eventually managed to catch it (after about four pokeball attempts), putting him in a great mood.

"We're almost out of here, Usagi," Ash said cheerfully as they walked. "Then it's a short walk to Pewter City." Usagi grinned back at him – despite being woken up unexpectedly via electric shock, she was surprisingly chirpy.

"I can't wait to see Bro..." Ash was cut off as the bushes nearby rustled, and a blue grey blur whizzed out towards them. "What the..."

The pokemon wrapped itself around Usagi's legs, purring profusely, its tail bouncing every time it got caught. Usagi was caught off guard, and almost fell over. Both Cleffa and Caterpie squeaked, gripping on to Usagi's clothes as she reeled. Careful not to drop either of them, Usagi took out her pokedex and pointed it at the cat-like pokemon the way Ash showed her.

"_Glameow. The Catty pokemon. __When it's happy, Glameow demonstrates beautiful movements of its tail, like a dancing ribbon.__"_

Usagi pocketed her pokedex and squatted down so she could pat the Glameow. "Well you are a cutie." She frowned. The Glameow looked a little different to the one in the pokedex. It had a cute white crescent moon on its forehead.

"A Glameow, that's cool! One of my friend's has one – she's a coordinator, and her Glameow is great," Ash exclaimed, coming over to pat it. The Glameow instantly hissed and swiped at Ash's hand, which he pulled back hurriedly.

Pikachu jumped down off Ash's shoulder, scolding the Glameow. It cocked its head before replying, "Meow, Glam glam, glameow." Pikachu's eyes grew wide. "Pi pikachu!"

Glameow went back to nuzzling Usagi, who was a little confused by what was happening.

"Um...what's going on?" she asked Ash and Pikachu as she petted the cat pokemon.

Pikachu pointed to an empty pokeball on her belt. "Chu pika pika."

Usagi blinked before turning back to the Glameow. "You want me to catch you?" The Glameow shook its head. "You want to come with me?" The Glameow nodded. "But not be caught by me?" The Glameow appeared to roll its eyes before nodding.

"Soooo..." Usagi said slowly, trying to work it out. "You want to be a free pokemon, but you want me to train you?" Glameow nodded. "Okay cool! I can do that. Just make sure you don't get caught by anyone else," Usagi said cheerfully, standing up. The Glameow gave her a dirty look.

"Are you okay to walk next to me? I'm running out of shoulders and arms..." The Glameow rolled its eyes again and swiped at Usagi's ankle. "YEEOCH! Okay okay! I get it! Sheesh," Usagi muttered, as she began to walk.

Laughing, Ash quickly caught up to Usagi as they passed the sign pointing towards Pewter City. "Looks like a love hate relationship," he teased. "But cool, you kind of have a Glameow!"

As they walked on, Ash missed the calculating expression on Pikachu's face as he glanced between Usagi and Glameow.

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><p><em><strong>AN:** So, an Ash and Usagi-centric chapter this time! And yay, Usagi caught her first pokemon! And Ash caught a new pokemon! What will come up next time? You'll just have to wait and see ;). Don't forget to R&R! _

_~Gummi_


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